To Dream the Impossible Dream
Chapter 33
It had, in fact, been his dream for the past year or so: to pull off the most spectacular terrorist act ever imaginable. And now that he was so close to the goal, he could almost smell the pungent fumes from the many oil fires and the aroma of thousands of burnt corpses wafting through the air and littering the ground for miles around Ras Tanura. It was his vision of Hell on earth and he’d be the Devil’s disciple. This was to be his supreme achievement and ultimate destiny. It just didn’t get any more exciting or morbid in his sociopathic, unhinged mind.
The LNG supertanker berthed at Ras Tanura would be the spark to set the port ablaze. The Galicia Spirit carried 240,000 cubic meters of liquefied natural gas and was about to set sail for Europe. Its cargo would create an explosion that by itself would cause massive destruction, but it would also trigger the explosion of the freighter nearby that carried tons of ammonium nitrate that was yet to be offloaded. The chain reaction and sympathetic detonations would sweep through the other ships and spread to the tank farms and beyond. Nothing would remain standing. Two Limpet mines, one LNG supertanker and 94 thousand tons of ammonium nitrate would nicely do the trick.
His Yemini scuba divers had taken up residence in Jubail, maintaining a low profile in the city. Many Yeminis had come across the border for employment with Saudi Aramco as guest workers in the oil fields. Many more had emigrated over the years and were now permanent Saudi residents. It was some of these same residents who’d provided sanctuary for the team, following the old birds of a feather dictum. The team was now safe and wouldn’t get a second glance from the authorities. In his case, Vlad would stay well under the radar to avoid detection and arrest. He’d rented a large house on the coast and awaited the greatest fireworks show on earth. Its roof would give him an unobstructed, front row seat and he couldn’t wait for the show to start.
***
Dick woke up in a cold sweat from his nightmare. He’d tossed and turned all night, envisioning what might happen if Ras Tanura was destroyed. The loss of life would be unimaginable and the loss of oil production wouldn’t just ripple through the international markets, but rather create a firestorm of unbelievable size and force. The world would be turned upside down overnight and panic would ensue as never seen before. The price of crude oil would skyrocket and other producer countries would be unable to meet the increased demand. The GDP of several industrialized nations would fall precipitously as their economies stumbled due to the lack of oil that powered their continued growth. Alternative energy supplies wouldn’t be able to fill the gap created by lower oil production.
Unemployment would soar as workers were laid off from their jobs as factory machinery ground to a halt. The price of a gallon of gas would triple and angry drivers would demand relief from the price hike that was now emptying their pockets. Civil unrest would ensue and the foundations of once democratic societies could start to crumble. It would be a domino effect that would impact the world’s economy for years to come. Oh, the humanity! And it was all for want of a little oil to grease the wheels of progress and prosperity.
Dick thought it an impossible dream and that cooler heads would prevail and save the day. It didn’t have to be a chaotic situation if the world’s leaders got their act together. At least he hoped so for everyone’s sake.
He couldn’t go back to sleep and lit a Marlboro to calm his nerves. Like Scrooge, his funk began to lift as he realized his nightmare of Christmas future didn’t have to occur, couldn’t happen. He put on a dark green polyester leisure suit and wondered if there might be a shortage of the fabric in the future. He worried the petrochemicals which went into his fine clothing might soon be in short supply. That wouldn’t suit him in the least bit, he mused. With that troubling thought, he went downstairs for breakfast. He had an important meeting today. One he couldn’t miss for all the tea in China or oil in Saudi Arabia.